Danish National Born Abroad - The 22-Year Rule - Retention of Danish Nationality

DANISH NATIONALS BORN ABROAD - THE 22-YEAR RULE – RETENTION OF DANISH NATIONALITYAs a general rule, Danish nationals born abroad lose their Danish nationality when reaching the age of 22. However, retention (if you are between 21 and 22) of Danish nationality may be granted provided certain conditions are fulfilled.

RETENTION OF DANISH NATIONALITYIf you are between the ages of 21 and 22 you can apply to retain your Danish nationality. According to the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (in Danish only), retention may be granted in the following cases:

If you have been a resident in Denmark before the age of 22
The Danish authorities generally consider a continuous stay of minimum 3 months as sufficient to meet this requirement. It is a requirement that you were registered in the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR) during your stay.

If you were visiting Denmark before the age of 22
The total of all visits, under circumstances indicating some association with Denmark, must add up to at least one year.

Even if you do not meet the two conditions mentioned above, you may still be granted retention of Danish nationality. The Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration assesses all applications individually. Among other things they will consider:

The total duration of your visits to Denmark (is it close to one year)

Do your visits indicate some association with Denmark; e.g. are they relatively recent or did they occur many years ago

How many times did you visit Denmark

Knowledge of the Danish language (the Embassy of Denmark in Ottawa or one of our consulates may be requested to conduct an interview with you in Danish)

Association to Denmark through contact with Danish relatives or through Danish associations in Canada

Your application must reach the Embassy of Denmark in Ottawa or the Ministry of Immigration and Integration no later than the day before you turn 22. If you apply after you turn 22, you must apply for proof of Danish nationality. You can read more about this here.

HOW TO APPLY

Step 1: Complete Application form and Payment of Processing FeeA completed application form is a requirement for an admissible application.

The processing fee of DKK 1200 to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration must be paid using the registration number (registreringsnummer) and account number (kontonummer) listed here.

The address of the bank is as follows:

Danske Bank, Statens betalinger
Girostrøget 1
0800 Høje Taastrup

Please note that your CPR-number or full name must be included with the payment.

Please note that the above banking information was current on January 1st 2016. It is highly recommended that you verify this information directly with the authorities in Denmark, as changes may happen without the embassy being notified.

Step 2: Collect Documents
A document checklist can be found in section 5 of the application form. Please click here for an unofficial translation of the document checklist.

For a quick and efficient processing, you must collect all the required documents in the checklist before you submit your application. Failure to submit all the required documents may result in delays or rejection of your file.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that all necessary documents are submitted. It is strongly recommended that you contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration for any updates regarding the submission of correct documents. Failure to submit all the required documents may result in delays or rejection of your application.

Neither the Embassy of Denmark in Canada nor the Danish consulates in Canada are responsible for any problems you may incur as a result of insufficient documentation.

Step 3: Submit the ApplicationYou can send the application and documents directly to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration in Denmark at the following address:

Alternatively, you can submit your application through the Danish Embassy or one of the Danish consulates in Canada. Please note that if you choose to submit your application this way, there is an additional handling fee payable to the Danish Embassy or the consulate. The handling fee must be paid in the form of a certified cheque or money order issued to the hand-in mission, or in cash. The fee schedule can be found here.

The handling fee covers the Embassy or Consulate’s involvement in the following steps:

Reception of application form and possible supporting documents. Embassy or consulate signature and date of reception on the application form. Embassy and consulates are not responsible for checking contents.

Hand out of receipt.

Shipment to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

Reception of the decision from the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

Hand out of the decision to client or shipment to client by courier/registered mail according to agreement and paid for separately by the client.

If additional case processing by the embassy or consulates is required, e.g. if documents are missing or the Ministry of Immigration and Integration has additional questions to the client, an additional hourly fee shall be charged as stated in the fee schedule mentioned above.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONSPlease contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration directly.
Tel.: +45 72 26 87 00. The phone hours can be found here (local time).
Email: uim@uim.dk.